Cape Town Tourism manages the perception of the mother city abroad - 2010 and beyond

18 January 2010

Cape Town Tourism has partnered with three international public relations agencies to proactively represent the Mother City abroad. The appointments are aimed at meeting the current demand for accurate information in the run up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and will assist in shaping and managing realistic perceptions of destination Cape Town and Cape Town as a Host City in key European source markets.

Lianne Burton, Cape Town Tourism’s Head of Marketing says the appointments signal an exciting new phase in Cape Town Tourism’s commitment to proactively grow Cape Town’s international profile. “With a desire to continually improve Cape Town’s compelling destination brand and tourism offering, we sought agencies with fresh ideas, enthusiasm, and a thorough understanding of our beautiful city and our source markets. Our three new partners were clear choices to deliver this.”

“The 2010 FIFA World Cup is Cape Town’s window of opportunity,” comments Burton, “We are intent on sending out a clear message about what to expect in Cape Town during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but we are also mindful that the most important driver for tourism is long-term sustainability. Forging relations with invested partners in other regions is integral to Cape Town’s success in the years ahead.”

Most countries who have staged mega-events warn of tourism slumps after the fans go home and Cape Town Tourism has mandated all their PR partners to adopt a sustainable outlook, focusing on the legacy potential of the World Cup rather than simply on the event itself.

Cape Town Tourism’s PR partners are tasked with providing insight and research into public perception in their specialist markets and to assist in proactively managing information but also to counteract and correct negative slants and misperceptions. The international PR network will educate the industry about Cape Town’s products and packages, working in conjunction with wholesale operators in order to promote the destination. This will encompass boosting trade engagements and developing leads through participation at international trade shows and other trade platforms. They will also facilitate media coverage and destination features in both the trade and general media. These opportunities will not only help Cape Town gain visibility in operators’ window-fronts and on their websites but also focus on reaching prospective tourists directly through lifestyle, destination and news reporting in a variety of media outlets.